Supplemental inflatable restraints or air bag assemblies are becoming increasingly common as a safety device in vehicles throughout the world. The assembly comprises an inflatable canister located in the steering column or the passenger-side dashboard. Upon a sufficiently great deceleration, the canister is inflated by an explosive device known as a squib which contains a gun powder-based material. The squib is fired electronically upon an electrical signal sent via wires from a deceleration sensor in the vehicle. The wires are attached to the squib via a squib connector which plugs into a receptacle in the squib and is typically retained therein by a friction fit.
Prior art squib connectors are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,314,345 and 5,178,547. The squib connector of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,314,345 is an example of a prior art connector which is frictionally fitted within the squib receptacle and must be pried out, which risks damaging the connector. In addition, this connector includes a locking clip attached with a tether to the connector. This locking clip is somewhat difficult to align, because it must be done visually. Additional commercially available prior art squib connectors include Models UT12367, UT13308, and UT13309 from Morton International.
The integrity of the wire connection to the squib must be maintained to ensure that the squib will fire when the deceleration sensor senses a sufficiently great deceleration and sends a signal to the squib. The squib connector is particularly subject to failure due to handling during manufacture of the vehicle and during replacement of a spent air bag assembly. The connector must keep out dust and moisture and withstand the vibrations, shocks, and temperature extremes associated with operation of the vehicle in which the connector is located. Thus, a need exists for a robust squib connector.